In the field of physical fitness, resistance weight training is enjoying a growth in the number of participants and the along with the businesses that cater to this rapidly evolving training regiment. Resistance training (also called strength training or weight training) employs resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance and size of skeletal muscles. Resistance training is based on the principle that muscles of the body will work to overcome a resistance force when they are required to do so.
A growing body of research shows that working out with weights has health benefits beyond simply bulking up one's muscles and strengthening bones. Studies show that more lean muscle mass may allow kidney dialysis patients to live longer, give older people better cognitive function, can reduce depression in some patients, boost good cholesterol, lessen the swelling and discomfort of lymphedema after breast cancer, and help lower the risk of diabetes.
One downside to the enjoyment of resistance training is the injuries that often accompany novices and athletes who fail to take heed of the need for proper alignment and technique. One common ailment for weightlifters is low-back pain. In most cases this arises because of compression loading on the spinal column. Heavy loads squeeze the intervertebral discs, leading to a deformation of the vertebrae and sometimes strained ligaments. Deadlifting, an exercise that involves lifting a large weight using the large leg muscles, can lead to back injuries and muscle trauma if done improperly. This is usually caused by the lifter bending over improperly, lifting with the back muscles instead of the leg muscles, placing undue strain on the lower back.
The chief mechanical cause of back injury while doing deadlifts is similar to that causing back injuries in weighted squats, namely flexing (bending forward) of the lifter's lumbar spine. That flexing happens when the lifter either leans forward beyond the point up to which the pelvis can rotate forward (any further leaning beyond this point can be done only by flexing the spine), or when the lifter begins the lift by posterior rotation of the pelvis (tilting the pelvis backward). In either case, instead of moving the whole trunk as one solid object rotating at the hip joints, the lumbar flexion is combined with posterior tilting of the lifter's pelvis, the same as in defective squats.
The present invention is designed to allow a user to perform various resistance training exercises, including deadlifts, safely and with less risk of injury.